First off, anyone who gave THIS movie less than 6 stars really shouldn't be watching movies from this genre. "Black Heat" is one of the best films that the "Grindhouse" genre has to offer. Complete with wacky but fascinating characters, and a script so complex that it feels like three movies edited together to make one movie. There is the cop who wants bloody revenge after his partner is killed, there is the girlfriend who embarks on a self destruction trip after she loses her man, racking up a $15,000 gambling debt with some very bad people. You get the mob, running drugs and firearms from South America..so much is going on that there is not one second of film that drags. Not to mention the astounding, garish color palette featured here, from the blinding neon lights of the Las Vegas strip, to the pink nightclubs, and THOSE CLOTHES..."Black Heat" is truly an overload of the senses. The new bluray print is absolutely beautiful. Featuring edgy drama and intense violence; the scene where the debt collector crushes the guy's legs for not paying his bill was reminiscent of the scene from "The Gambler," when. Burt Young,in a similar role, trashes the guy's apartment and breaks his hand; truly gut wrenching stuff. I'm imagining the poor reviews were left by the kind of people who think "low budget" translates to "bad movie.." And people who think like that have no business watching movies like this, because this is TRUE "independent cinema," free from the Hollywood schmaltz that they have so much respect for..I'm sure if Quentin Tarantino's name was slapped onto this movie, it would suddenly be considered a masterpiece.. For those that "get it," I recommend "Black Fist," and "Massacre Mafia Style," as well as "The Hitter" starring Mr. Superfly himself, Ron O'Neal..all fine independent films, often overlooked, made with little money but with a lot of passion for the art of film making..
